Effect of photovoltaic system on power quality in electrical distribution networks

Abstract

The study is concerned with the optimal penetration of renewable energy sources and their impacts on power quality case studies into distribution systems. Non-linear loads are the main harmonic sources in a distribution grid while the PV system constitutes power converters which are large generating source of harmonics. Therefore, both nonlinear loads and PV systems have large impact on the power quality of distribution systems. In this paper, the harmonics determined by a photovoltaic system (PV) on a distribution system are analyzed. Also, this paper aims to solve the harmonic reduction problem of distribution system which is fed from the PV system by using a number of single tuned passive filters. The ETAP software is employed to simulate a distribution system that feeds a residential area integrated with PV systems to analyze the impact and the best location of these PV to reduce these harmonics and their effect on the distribution system. Also, this paper deals to allocate the filters at the best location for eliminating the harmonics and their impact on the system. Also, this paper proposes an ETAP procedure for choice the optimal design of single tuned filters that able to reduce the effects of voltage and current harmonic contents to be within the accepted practical limits. Two proposed filter design strategies are presented. The first one considers the power factor correction as the primary objective function while the minimization of total installing costs is considered as a primary objective function in the second strategy. An actual part of residential distribution systems as a real application of Egyptian network is implemented to explain the capability of the proposed procedure to improve the power quality and to reduce the total and individual voltage and current harmonic contents to be within their accepted limits of the Egyptian code.